Ceramics, Glasses and Polymers

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. demonstrate a good knowledge of the structures of ceramics; 2. relate the of structures of ceramics materials to its properties and applications; 3. demonstrate a good knowledge of phase transformation in glasses; 4. demonstrate a good understanding of polymer structure-property relationship; and 5. explain the elastic and visco elastic properties of polymers.

Introduction; Structure of ceramic materials; Fracture strength; Impact resistance and toughness; statistical variations in strength and Weibull distribution. Thermal shock resistance and Thermal spalling resistance; Refractoriness. Deterioration: Chemical attack (e.g., on concrete) at high temperatures (e.g., on ceramic refractories); Nuclear radiation damage. Structure of glass; Transformation Temperature of glass. Glass forming materials, Types of glasses, Properties and Applications. Glass-Ceramics: Properties and Applications. Classes of polymers viz: thermoplastics; thermoset; rubbers and elastomers. Structure of polymers: Chemical composition, polymerisation, cross-linking and chain branching, molecular weight and molecular-weight distribution, chemical and steric isomerism and stereoregularity, blends, grafts and co-polymers. Physical structure: Rotational isomerism, orientation and crystallinity. Introduction to the basic mechanical properties of polymeric materials. Relationship between structure and properties. Glass transition temperature. Engineering and domestic applications of polymers.